Review: Songs of the Bulbul

A bulbul is an Asian songbird, and according to Sufi myth, they are drawn towards roses in the same way that humans crave spiritual enlightenment, through connection to god. This intense solo performance from dancer Aakash Odesra shows the cycles of yearning and joy, despair and liberation felt by the bird. 

Odesra swirls in raptures, skirts billowing around him, arms drawing intricate shapes in the sky. He lies on his back and lets his hands flutter delicately heavenwards, with agitated thrashing later when the bird is captured. His movement is exquisite, with gorgeous waves of tabla and rippling harp to accompany him. Rushil Ranjan’s score, performed by Manchester Camerata (who also work in communities with people living with dementia) sometimes becomes overwrought here though. It swoons and thunders in the modern, majestic, blockbuster style of someone like John Williams, when some ancient Carnatic music or hypnotic ragas could have had much more power.

It’s a dazzling performance, with the bird’s demise echoing the thrilling but sometimes short lived career of an artist, but it feels overly long, with many of the motifs and choreography returning in loops.

Songs of the Bulbal performed at The Lyceum as part of Edinburgh International Festival 2024, run ended